The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Vitex trifolia. The new Vitex will hereafter be referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Bailtexone’. ‘Bailtexone’ is a new cultivar of chaste tree grown for use as an ornamental landscape plant.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Watkinsville, Ga. The objective of the breeding program is to develop a new cultivar of Vitex that is cold hardy with purple foliage. ‘Bailtexone’ arose from a cross-made in 2012 between Vitex trifolia ‘Purpurea’ (not patented) as the female parent and unnamed and unpatented plant of Vitex agnus-castus as the male parent. ‘Bailtexone’ was selected as a single unique plant in 2013 from amongst the seedlings derived from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by semi-hardwood stem cuttings by one of the Inventors in Watkinsville, Ga. in 2014. Asexual propagation by semi-hardwood stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.